Simple, Wholesome, Plant-Based Food

Ultimate Vegan and Gluten Free Cauliflower Wing Sampler Platter

A few weeks ago I was craving spicy, saucy, cauliflower “wings.” I decided to change things up from my usual recipe, and try out some ideas I had for alternate sauces. What I ended up with was this party platter of cauliflower deliciousness with a variety of tasty sauces to put a smile on everyone’s face.

My goal with all my recipes on the blog is to keep things as simple and easy as possible, while still being healthy, plant-based, and wholesome. The cauliflower bites have only a handful of main ingredients, while the sauces can be easily made from ingredients that are probably in your kitchen right now. I kept my all-time favorite hot and spicy buffalo sauce (with an optional cajun spin) and added a milder sweet and tangy barbecue sauce and Maple Mustard sauce. Talk about a delicious trio. You’re going to want to try all three.

While I love spicy food, sometimes my mouth needs a break from all that heat. That’s when I take a bite of the barbecue sauce slathered cauliflower. The Maple Mustard is very subtle and a touch sweet; I mixed that one up with my 4 year old in mind. She’s quite sensitive to flavors and spices, but she does love mustard! I used regular yellow mustard for the bites in these photos, but subbing spicy brown mustard is a mouth-watering alternative (and a bit more flavor packed for the grown ups).

This dinner or appetizer is my vegan version of Buffalo Wild Wings. If you are a lover of all things saucy and bite sized, you’re going to adore these plant-based and gluten free cauliflower wings!

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into bite sized florets, washed and patted dry

1 cup of garbanzo bean flour (also known as chickpea/besan flour)

1 cup of unsweetened soy milk (or other dairy free milk)

1 – 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or sil-pat. I like to spray a tiny bit of avocado oil on the parchment as well. Combine dry ingredients in a very large bowl and whisk in the soy milk. Add the cauliflower florets and mix with hands until florets are coated. Spread them out on the pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden/lightly brown on the edges and the cauliflower is tender.

While the cauliflower is baking, mix up your sauces. Whisk together the ingredients for each in a separate bowl. Choose organic ingredients whenever possible.

Cajun Buffalo:

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup hot sauce

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

For less heat, use more ketchup… for more heat use less ketchup.

Sweet and Tangy Barbecue:

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 – 1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mustard Maple:

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup mustard (yellow or spicy brown)

pinch of black pepper, salt, and garlic powder

Grab 3 large bowls, or just use one and rinse between sauces. Remove the baked cauliflower from the oven and carefully use a spatula to transfer 1/3 of it to one of the bowls. Pour in one flavor of sauce and stir to coat the “wings.” Place the saucy wings back on the pan. Repeat with the remaining sauces and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy with your favorite dip (mine is cashew ranch, below, or the vegan blue cheese dip from my previous recipe).

Cashew Ranch Dip

1 cup of cashews, soaked for a few hours for easier blending

3/4 cup of unsweeted dairy free milk or water

1 – 2 tbsp lemon juice

1 – 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp onion flakes or powder

3/4 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Chill in the fridge for an hour or two to allow flavors to develop. Store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to a week.